Peter Warrick

Florida State senior flanker Peter Warrick is not the subject of a Heisman Trophy campaign - he simply is mounting one all by himself. Warrick continued his assault on the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday, shredding North Carolina with 194 yards in total offense in FSU's 42-10 victory in Chapel Hill, N.C. His day at Kenan Stadium included a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown, one that broke the game open for the Seminoles.

TALLAHASSEE — One key member of Florida State 's defensive backfield suggested former Seminoles' WR Peter Warrick should soon come back to campus and thank the current FSU secondary. With Warrick's ACC career receiving yards record in the middle of Duke WR Conner Vernon's crosshairs, the defensive backs had a chance to keep Warrick atop the conference's all-time receiving yards list. Warrick finished his four-year career in 1999 with 3,517 yards receiving. The record Warrick held for more than 12 seasons, was close to falling.

Happy Labor Day weekend. You're fired. So, again, went the cruelest holiday of the NFL season Saturday, as nearly 700 would-be NFL players were hacked by the league's 32 teams in order to reach the mandatory 53-man roster limit in time for a 4 p.m. deadline. Surprises were few, but some familiar names are looking for work today. With Detroit's release of Charles Rogers, the wide receiver joins a list of the greatest busts of the modern-draft era. Rogers, out of Michigan State, was the second overall pick in 2003 and played in 15 games during his three seasons.

TALLAHASSEE — The football portion of Jimbo Fisher 's mind primarily revolves around offense. It's the area of football Fisher, a former quarterback and longtime offensive coordinator, knows best. So when he says he actually enjoys watching an opposing offensive player, one has to imagine he has a good reason for reaching such a conclusion. This week, whenever he has been asked about Duke receiver Conner Vernon , Fisher's eyes have widened. "You want me to tell you something he does?

TALLAHASSEE - Peter Warrick is probably the last guy on the Florida State roster who needed to be broiling his brains into mush Friday under a 105-degree Panhandle sun.An All-American in 1998, Warrick has been through preseason camp four times and knows the routine. Still, because of a paucity of players at receiver, Pete was hotter than a pistol.``I'm about outta gas,'' Warrick said.It's easy to see why. FSU is about outta receivers.Every season, at programs all over the nation, it seems that the injury bug infests one particular position like a nest of gnats.

TALLAHASSEE - Florida State is edging closer and closer toward the type of passing game their fans have grown to expect and their opponents have learned to hate, one with an efficient quarterback and a group of talented receivers.It looked more like itself in Saturday night's 48-0 win over Clemson than it has this season as Chris Weinke used all of his receivers to complete 18 of 35 for 302 yards with touchdowns of 40 yards to Laveranues Coles 40 yards, 48 yards to Peter Warrick, 12 yards to Ron Dugans and 15 yards to Marvin Minnis.

Peter Warrick, the former Florida State All-American receiver and famed bargain hunter, has seen his NFL stock rise and fall -- or at least tail off -- faster than dot.com companies on Wall Street. Warrick has heard he is too slow, too small and, uh, maybe too shadowy. All these factors might have figured into Warrick's slide from the No.1 pick after his record Sugar Bowl performance to perhaps the No. 4 choice heading into Saturday's draft. Then there is the fatigue factor. Not that Peter tires out. Seems that when Warrick met Cleveland Browns owner Al Lerner -- an ex-Marine who flies the services flag on each of his properties -- he was wearing army fatigues.

IN HIS Wednesday column, Larry Guest stated, ````Slug this one the Redemption Bowl, both for Florida State -- which had let two national titles slip through its fingers in the past three years -- and for spectacular wideout Peter Warrick, who had done you-know-what.'' It makes sense that playing excellent football would redeem the Seminoles, but how does Peter Warrick's playing an admittedly spectacular game have anything to do with redeeming him from the stigma of stealing? James W. Williamson WINTER PARK

MY SALUTE to Sandy D'Alemberte, president of Florida State University, for finally standing up and saying ``NO'' to the madness that provides preferential treatment for the likes of Lawrence Phillips, Latrell Sprewell and Peter Warrick.Finally, sanity prevails.William H. OverbayALTAMONTE SPRINGS

As a news anchor and journalist, I know how influential the media can be, and I'm sure you do, too.I'm sure it's just an oversight, but in Steve Elling's article, ``Warrick will not play vs. Wake Forest,'' the photo of Peter Warrick looks like a mugshot.Whether you think he's guilty or not, in this country you're innocent until proven guilty.I think we have a responsibility to give our viewers, and in this case, your readers, a balanced and 'fair' portrayal of the facts. Even though it's just a picture, ... I think it says he's guilty.

TALLAHASSEE - One pregame look at the sideline behind Doak Campbell Stadium's North end zone was enough to prove the enormity of the spectacle a sellout crowd was about to witness Saturday night. A veritable who's who of Florida State legend and lore stood in the space behind the white lines. There was "Snoop" Minnis, the former Seminoles receiver who famously caught the longest touchdown pass in school history during FSU's 2000 game against Clemson . To his left stood Peter Warrick , the former wide out who caught the iconic touchdown of FSU's national championship the year before.

During his final years as Florida State's head coach, Bobby Bowden often bemoaned the Seminoles' lack of proven playmakers. Where's a Derrick Brooks , Bowden asked. Or a Charlie Ward ? Or a Peter Warrick ? Had some of those kinds of players emerged for FSU, Bowden might still be the head coach. His successor, though, believes Florida State already has plenty of capable playmakers on its roster. "I think we've got 'em on the team now," Jimbo Fisher said last week during FSU's national signing day press conference.

TALLAHASSEE -- They haven't held walk-on tryouts to find wide receivers at Florida State -- once home to the likes Fred Biletnikoff, Lawrence Dawsey and Peter Warrick -- but one might argue that a walk-on has been the Seminoles' best pass catcher during spring practice. After all, Greg Carr is gone, out of eligibility. He had been FSU's most consistently productive receiver during the past four seasons. Preston Parker is gone, out of chances. Seminoles Coach Bobby Bowden earlier this year dismissed him after he was arrested and found passed out -- alcohol and marijuana in his system -- at a local McDonald's.

Happy Labor Day weekend. You're fired. So, again, went the cruelest holiday of the NFL season Saturday, as nearly 700 would-be NFL players were hacked by the league's 32 teams in order to reach the mandatory 53-man roster limit in time for a 4 p.m. deadline. Surprises were few, but some familiar names are looking for work today. With Detroit's release of Charles Rogers, the wide receiver joins a list of the greatest busts of the modern-draft era. Rogers, out of Michigan State, was the second overall pick in 2003 and played in 15 games during his three seasons.

So much for Shaun Alexander being soft in the postseason. The league MVP averaged 31 yards in his three previous playoff games. All Alexander had to show for last week's game against Washington was 9 yards and a concussion. On Sunday, he set a Seattle record by gaining 132 yards. He also scored two touchdowns. Seahawks shut down Delhomme So much for Jake Delhomme being stupendous in the postseason. Carolina's quarterback was 5-1 as a starter and had a 108.4 rating. He threw three interceptions Sunday, and before heating up in the fourth quarter had a quarterback rating of 1.6. Former Florida players shine in big game Seattle's victory had a distinct Florida flavor.

WEDNESDAY'S PHOTO on the front page of the Sentinel of Bobby Bowden and Peter Warrick should have been titled ``Crime does pay.'' I am sorry the Sentinel sees fit to encourage this shameful conduct. How can parents and teachers teach our children to be good citizens when the colleges, coaches and athletic directors say crime is OK if you are a good football player. Nothing is more important than money and winning football games. For shame. James Walker ORLANDO

NEW ORLEANS - The Florida State Seminoles ended the season the way they began it last August: First-and-foremost among America's college football teams. The Seminoles (12-0) used their big-play potential to defeat Virginia Tech 46-29 before 79,280 fans at Tuesday's Sugar Bowl. It marks the second national title for coach Bobby Bowden. ``It's a milestone,'' Bowden, 70, said. ``I could have gone the rest of my life and not have it happen.'' Despite a significant edge in the noise meter for Virginia Tech in the domed stadium, Seminoles fans got to cheer early and often for FSU's quick strikes.

QUICK SLANT: The NFL's two Ohio franchises round out the bottom of the AFC North Division. The Bengals already are 0-2 against division foes. ABOUT CINCINNATI: QB Carson Palmer is struggling (three touchdown passes, seven picks) and might be without WR Peter Warrick (shin) today. Chad Johnson has 15 receptions and four TDs in his past four games against the Browns. The Bengals are last in the league in rushing defense and don't have a player with more than one sack. ABOUT CLEVELAND: The offense has been bad, and QB Jeff Garcia and Coach Butch Davis were sniping at each other this week.

It only makes sense that Bowden should feel that the media has suddenly turned on him. He has gotten away with so much for so long because of his ability to schmooze the press. Sebastian Janikowski, Deion Sanders, Peter Warrick and others -- all of whom should have been kicked off the team but were allowed to play because winning is more important than almost anything else -- tell us how Bowden has always run the program. The truly amazing thing is that absolutely no one has called for his resignation.